What is the Average Car Loan Length? The most common loan length is currently 72 months for both new and used vehicles. The average length of a car loan changes from time to time, and 72 months is a bit higher than in previous decades.
According to most personal finance experts, the optimal length for a car loan is 48 months, although some are upping this length to 60 months due to the increased cost of vehicles and lower interest rates.
They are trying to get a good interest rate and a reasonable monthly payment. But a five-year loan often has a monthly payment that is too high for them, and they end up financing for a longer term even if it costs them more down the line, Zabritski said.
(1) You will generally pay less interest on a 36 or 48 month loan than you would on a 60 (assuming that we are not talking about 0% interest deals here). So, while your payments will be higher the shorter the term, your total interest paid will be lower.
The latest Experian State of the Auto Finance Market report found the average term for new-car loans—the number of months required to repay the loans—increased by more than two months (2.37 months) to nearly 72 months overall, from the second quarter (Q2) of 2019 to Q2 2020.
Because of the high interest rates and risk of going upside down, most experts agree that a 72-month loan isn't an ideal choice. Experts recommend that borrowers take out a shorter loan. And for an optimal interest rate, a loan term fewer than 60 months is a better way to go. You can learn more about car loans here.
There's really only one benefit of a long-term auto loan that spans six to seven years or even longer. The longer the car loan, the smaller the monthly payment. By taking out financing with an extended loan term, you can potentially buy a more expensive car and still stay within your monthly budget.
While both long term and short terms auto loans offer advantages, short term loans are still generally better for borrowers. In terms of the overall cost of the vehicle, short term loans are way cheaper and a smarter choice because of the lower interest rates.
Stretching your loan term to seven or even 10 years is probably too long for an auto loan because of the interest charges that stack up with a higher interest rate. To illustrate, say you take on a $10,000 car loan for seven years with a 13% interest rate (a common rate for bad credit borrowers).
If you're buying a new car at an interest rate of 2.9% APR, you may be getting a bad deal. However, whether or not this is the best rate possible will depend on factors like market conditions, your credit background, and what type of manufacturer car incentives there are at a given point in time on the car you want.
With a loan amount of $30,000, an interest rate of 8%, and a loan repayment period of 60-months, your monthly payment is around $700. Before you purchase your new vehicle, remember to budget for car maintenance, gas, and car insurance.
A 72-month car loan can make sense in some cases, but it typically only applies if you have good credit. When you have bad credit, a 72-month auto loan can sound appealing due to the lower monthly payment, but, in reality, you're probably going to pay more than you bargained for.
According to experts, a car payment is too high if the car payment is more than 30% of your total income. Remember, the car payment isn't your only car expense! Make sure to consider fuel and maintenance expenses. Make sure your car payment does not exceed 15%-20% of your total income.
Shorter loans will come with less interest over the term and have higher payments. Longer-term loans will have lower monthly payments, but more interest over the term.
The average monthly car payment for new cars is $648. The average monthly car payment for used cars is $503. 41.02 percent of consumers financed new vehicles in Q1 of 2022. 58.98 percent of consumers financed used vehicles in Q1 of 2022.
The pandemic and resulting supply-chain issues, inflation, rising interest rates all play a part. Depending on whom you ask, the average car buyer in the U.S. is paying $657 (Edmunds.com) or $712 (Moody's) a month for their new vehicles.
Paying off a car loan early can save you money — provided there aren't added fees and you don't have other debt. Even a few extra payments can go a long way to reducing your costs. Keep your financial situation, monthly goals and the cost of the debt in mind and do your research to determine the best strategy for you.
A 5 year car loan should be the maximum time frame you consider. If you can only afford payments by extending the loan to 6 years or more, you should be looking for a less expensive vehicle or be willing to wait 3 to 9 months while saving money for a larger down payment.
Auto loans over 60 months are not the best way to finance a car because, for one thing, they carry higher car loan interest rates. Yet 39% of new-car buyers in the first quarter of 2021 took out loans of 61 to 72 months, according to Experian.
The average credit card interest rate in 2021 was 16.13%. With 16% interest, it would take 447 months (more than 37 years) to pay off $30,000 in credit card debt. The final bill would be $69,459.47. Keep in mind that's 16% interest.
Almost all car lenders are able to offer 84-month auto loans. However, it might be hard to qualify for one. Lenders take many factors into consideration, including the exact car you're purchasing, its loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, your credit score and more.
An 84-month auto loan can mean lower monthly payments than you'd get with a shorter-term loan. But having as long as seven years to pay off your car isn't necessarily a good idea. You can find a number of lenders that offer auto loans over an 84-month period — and some for even longer.